Losing trick count principles served us well yesterday as Mary O. and I posted a nice score. We had several good scores in major suit part-score contracts as we were able to judge well and stay out of game.
On this hand I had bigger things in mind (board 23):
♠Q
♥AKJx
♦ AQ10xxxx
♣x
After two passes I opened 1♦ and partner responded 1♥. What would you bid?
****************
As I had only 4 losers I definitely wanted to be in game and slam might very well be in the cards. Various bids are possible, but I took the straightforward path of jumping to 4♥. (4♦ is a possibility, but we hadn't discussed that bid). It turns out that partner held both black aces, 4 small hearts and 2 small diamonds. Hearts broke 3-2 with the queen doubleton onside so she had no heart losers. Her only loser turned out to be the king of diamonds when the finesse lost. Diamonds broke 2-2, however, so she had no trouble taking 12 tricks.
With her 8-loser hand she probably should have made a slam try, but plus 680 turned out to be a good score.
Happy New Year!
See you at the table!
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Jennbridge: Uppercut and Trump Promotion
Larry Hansen, one of my partners, recently sent me this interesting hand, noting that it was a defense that hasn't been written about very much. Thanks Larry!
Hi Jennifer,
I had an interesting Defensive Hand with one of my students earlier in Nov. My student failed to recognize a situation where she needed to lead a suit for me to uppercut, and so I wrote up an article on Uppercuts and Trump Promotions for her and others that I might need to instruct.
But this hand was especially interesting because of a key 2nd hand play which was made which allowed us to reach a situation where both an Uppercut play and a Trump Promotion were in play.
S started with the 9H, with the QH winning in dummy.
D: Declarer played a D from dummy, and I decided to play the KD as an unblock in case partner had D's; the KD won.
D: I could give partner a ruff, with a high H, but thought that I would get another entry with a D ruff and so I continued D's, which partner won with the A.
D: Partner led a 3rd D after some thought, and I ruffed with the JS.
D: I now led a H and partner ruffed.
This is where partner faltered, she continued with a C and eventually the defense won a 5th trick in C's
Had partner understood the value of her TS and the fact that I ruffed with the JS, which shouldn't be my highest S, and therefore suggest that an Uppercut was available.
Here's what happens if she continues a 4th D...
I would ruff with the KS and declarer will have to lose 2 more tricks
If declarer over-ruffs, he loses a C and the TS
If declarer pitches a C, then I win the KS and continue with a H to give partner a trump promotion for 2 tricks.
The neat thing about this combined UpperCut and Trump Promotion is that when Declarer has a single loser that he can discard, discarding it does not gain.
Had I not played the KD and continued D, this position does not arise and declarer can hold the loses to 5 tricks.
Larry
Hi Jennifer,
I had an interesting Defensive Hand with one of my students earlier in Nov. My student failed to recognize a situation where she needed to lead a suit for me to uppercut, and so I wrote up an article on Uppercuts and Trump Promotions for her and others that I might need to instruct.
But this hand was especially interesting because of a key 2nd hand play which was made which allowed us to reach a situation where both an Uppercut play and a Trump Promotion were in play.
| Board 26 East Deals Both Vul | ♠ K J ♥ K 7 6 5 3 ♦ K 4 ♣ Q J 6 4 | ||||||||||
♠ 3 2 ♥ Q J 10 8 2 ♦ 5 3 ♣ A 8 5 3 |
| ♠ A Q 9 8 7 6 ♥ A 4 ♦ Q J 2 ♣ 9 7 | |||||||||
| ♠ 10 5 4 ♥ 9 ♦ A 10 9 8 7 6 ♣ K 10 2 | |||||||||||
S started with the 9H, with the QH winning in dummy.
D: Declarer played a D from dummy, and I decided to play the KD as an unblock in case partner had D's; the KD won.
D: I could give partner a ruff, with a high H, but thought that I would get another entry with a D ruff and so I continued D's, which partner won with the A.
D: Partner led a 3rd D after some thought, and I ruffed with the JS.
D: I now led a H and partner ruffed.
This is where partner faltered, she continued with a C and eventually the defense won a 5th trick in C's
Had partner understood the value of her TS and the fact that I ruffed with the JS, which shouldn't be my highest S, and therefore suggest that an Uppercut was available.
Here's what happens if she continues a 4th D...
I would ruff with the KS and declarer will have to lose 2 more tricks
If declarer over-ruffs, he loses a C and the TS
If declarer pitches a C, then I win the KS and continue with a H to give partner a trump promotion for 2 tricks.
The neat thing about this combined UpperCut and Trump Promotion is that when Declarer has a single loser that he can discard, discarding it does not gain.
Had I not played the KD and continued D, this position does not arise and declarer can hold the loses to 5 tricks.
Larry
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Jennbridge: Hands from Seattle
I had a nice time playing with Farid Assemi in the inaugural Senior Mixed Pairs in Seattle--won by my friends Polly and Patrick Dunn.
Here are a pair of 3NT contracts from the first final session which resulted in good scores. For good measure I'm also including a hand from the same session where I used losing trick count principles--a subject I'm currently writing about in the Bridge Bulletin.
On this board (rotated) Farid found himself in a pushy 3NT contract with the ♦10 lead. Questioning revealed that the 10 lead was from "0 or 2 higher", so he didn't yield to the temptation of playing the ♦J and won in his hand. How to get 9 tricks?
He started on hearts and East showed out on the 2nd heart. After Farid took his 4 hearts he made a key play of leading a ♣ from the board and guessing correctly to play the 10 when East played low. (He told me later that he detected a slight pause in the bidding by his RHO after my 1♥ bid, so had decided to play his RHO for length and/or strength in the black suits.) He later put East in with a spade who, having unattractive options, played on clubs again.
Farid himself will take up the narrative: It is a good hand, but probably more of a lucky hand since RHO's heart shortness and guards in the other 3 suits made success almost automatic. It would probably make a good hand for help with counting tricks and various assumptions needed to succeed. However, I think the crucial lesson is that the lead convention (the ten lead promises 0 or 2 higher) is a double-edged sword; on that hand it cut our opponents.
Plus 600 was worth 39 out of 47 matchpoints.
2. Next is a 3NT contract which I played (hands rotated):
We were probably lucky to get to game after my intial pass. Farid made a good decision to bid 3NT rather than 4♥ which would have had no chance.
The opponents started with 3 rounds of spades and I won on the board. I next played the ♥ ace-king and the ♥J lost to the queen. After a long pause East shifted to a diamond and my jack forced the ace. A spade return and a club guess (not really a guess as West needed to have the queen to have an opening bid) and I had my 9 tricks. (2 spades, 3 hearts, 1 diamond and 3 clubs.)
Plus 600 was worth 40 out of 47 matchpoints.
3. Farid dealt and opened 1♠ and I held: (board 24, hands rotated)
♠KJ
♥1098653
♦ 9763
♣9
RHO passed and so did I. LHO bid 2D and partner rebid 2♠. RHO now bid 3♣ and it was my call.
Not much of a hand, but when I counted my losers, there were only 8--which signified to me that the hand had some value. Plus, two honors in the trump suit and a singleton couldn't be all bad, so I ventured a 3♠ call. Partner bid 4♠ and I hoped he wouldn't be too disappointed with my hand. The ♥ ace was led.
With the ♠ queen falling doubleton and the ♦ ace onside, it was a routine matter to ruff a club and make 5. Plus 450 was worth 41 of 47 matchpoints.
This was a good session and a fun event. Unfortunately we couldn't carry the momentum into the evening session.
See you at the table!
Here are a pair of 3NT contracts from the first final session which resulted in good scores. For good measure I'm also including a hand from the same session where I used losing trick count principles--a subject I'm currently writing about in the Bridge Bulletin.
| Board 20 South Deals Both Vul | ♠ K 10 9 ♥ Q 10 7 3 ♦ J 5 2 ♣ 4 3 2 | ||||||||||
♠ A 6 ♥ J 9 8 6 5 ♦ 10 9 8 4 ♣ 6 5 |
| ♠ Q J 8 5 4 ♥ 4 ♦ Q 7 6 ♣ A Q 9 8 | |||||||||
| ♠ 7 3 2 ♥ A K 2 ♦ A K 3 ♣ K J 10 7 | |||||||||||
| West | North | East | South |
| Jenn | Farid | ||
| 1 ♣ | |||
| Pass | 1 ♥ | Pass | 2 NT |
| Pass | 3 NT | All pass |
On this board (rotated) Farid found himself in a pushy 3NT contract with the ♦10 lead. Questioning revealed that the 10 lead was from "0 or 2 higher", so he didn't yield to the temptation of playing the ♦J and won in his hand. How to get 9 tricks?
He started on hearts and East showed out on the 2nd heart. After Farid took his 4 hearts he made a key play of leading a ♣ from the board and guessing correctly to play the 10 when East played low. (He told me later that he detected a slight pause in the bidding by his RHO after my 1♥ bid, so had decided to play his RHO for length and/or strength in the black suits.) He later put East in with a spade who, having unattractive options, played on clubs again.
Farid himself will take up the narrative: It is a good hand, but probably more of a lucky hand since RHO's heart shortness and guards in the other 3 suits made success almost automatic. It would probably make a good hand for help with counting tricks and various assumptions needed to succeed. However, I think the crucial lesson is that the lead convention (the ten lead promises 0 or 2 higher) is a double-edged sword; on that hand it cut our opponents.
Plus 600 was worth 39 out of 47 matchpoints.
2. Next is a 3NT contract which I played (hands rotated):
| Board 6 South Deals N-S Vul | ♠ J 10 7 ♥ A K J 10 6 3 ♦ 2 ♣ K 10 6 | ||||||||||
♠ A K 9 8 3 ♥ 8 4 ♦ A 10 8 ♣ Q 5 3 |
| ♠ 5 ♥ Q 9 7 5 2 ♦ Q 9 6 ♣ 8 7 4 2 | |||||||||
| ♠ Q 6 4 2 ♥ — ♦ K J 7 5 4 3 ♣ A J 9 | |||||||||||
| West | North | East | South |
| Farid | Jenn | ||
| Pass | |||
| 1 ♠ | 2 ♥ | Pass | 2 NT |
| Pass | 3 NT | All pass |
We were probably lucky to get to game after my intial pass. Farid made a good decision to bid 3NT rather than 4♥ which would have had no chance.
The opponents started with 3 rounds of spades and I won on the board. I next played the ♥ ace-king and the ♥J lost to the queen. After a long pause East shifted to a diamond and my jack forced the ace. A spade return and a club guess (not really a guess as West needed to have the queen to have an opening bid) and I had my 9 tricks. (2 spades, 3 hearts, 1 diamond and 3 clubs.)
Plus 600 was worth 40 out of 47 matchpoints.
3. Farid dealt and opened 1♠ and I held: (board 24, hands rotated)
♠KJ
♥1098653
♦ 9763
♣9
RHO passed and so did I. LHO bid 2D and partner rebid 2♠. RHO now bid 3♣ and it was my call.
Not much of a hand, but when I counted my losers, there were only 8--which signified to me that the hand had some value. Plus, two honors in the trump suit and a singleton couldn't be all bad, so I ventured a 3♠ call. Partner bid 4♠ and I hoped he wouldn't be too disappointed with my hand. The ♥ ace was led.
| Board 24 South Deals None Vul | ♠ K J ♥ 10 9 8 6 5 3 ♦ 9 7 6 3 ♣ 9 | ||||||||||
♠ 6 5 4 ♥ A K Q ♦ J 4 ♣ J 10 7 6 2 |
| ♠ Q 8 ♥ 7 4 2 ♦ A Q 10 8 2 ♣ 8 5 3 | |||||||||
| ♠ A 10 9 7 3 2 ♥ J ♦ K 5 ♣ A K Q 4 | |||||||||||
| West | North | East | South |
| Jenn | Farid | ||
| 1 ♠ | |||
| Pass | Pass | 2 ♦ | 2 ♠ |
| 3 ♣ | 3 ♠ | Pass | 4 ♠ |
| All pass |
With the ♠ queen falling doubleton and the ♦ ace onside, it was a routine matter to ruff a club and make 5. Plus 450 was worth 41 of 47 matchpoints.
This was a good session and a fun event. Unfortunately we couldn't carry the momentum into the evening session.
See you at the table!
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Jennbridge: Beware the Automatic Play
I made a 3NT contract in the STAC game yesterday while most other declarers went down. I suspect it had to do with early plays in the spade suit.
As North, I got the ♠ J lead and paused to consider the play.
Obviously several things needed to work to come to 9 tricks. I didn't know where the ♠ K was, but there was no need to do anything drastic at trick one--like covering the ♠ J with the ♠ Q. There would be another chance to play the spades and I hoped that by that time I would have more information.
I won the ♠ A (West playing the 6, the pair playing upside-down attitude signals) and played the ♦ K which East won. She next played the ♠ 9, in tempo, and the moment of truth had arrived. What should I do?
I had two questions: a) how many spades did East have, and b) did she have the king? If East had 5 spades headed by the jack, the ♠ K would fall on this trick so I should duck again. On the other hand, if East had the ♠ K, I needed to play the ♠ Q, regardless of how many spades she started with or I would lose it.
At this point we rely on our knowledge of the players, if any, and our close observation of any mannerisms, including tempo. I finally decided that East might have paused for thought had she held the ♠ K and decided to play West for it. Accordingly, I ducked again and West followed low. A third spade cleared the suit, West winning the ♠ K. West switched back to diamonds. So far, so good.
I cashed my diamonds, and was pleased to see not only the ♥Q well-placed but also the ♣ K.
See you at the table!
Dec. 9 Holiday STAC
| Board 18 East Deals N-S Vul | ♠ A 3 2 ♥ A J 4 ♦ K Q J 9 ♣ Q 8 4 | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| ♠ Q 7 4 ♥ K 7 3 ♦ 10 6 4 2 ♣ A 3 2 | |||||||||||
| West | North | East | South |
| Jenn | Larry H. | ||
| Pass | Pass | ||
| Pass | 1 NT | Pass | 3 NT |
| All pass |
As North, I got the ♠ J lead and paused to consider the play.
Obviously several things needed to work to come to 9 tricks. I didn't know where the ♠ K was, but there was no need to do anything drastic at trick one--like covering the ♠ J with the ♠ Q. There would be another chance to play the spades and I hoped that by that time I would have more information.
I won the ♠ A (West playing the 6, the pair playing upside-down attitude signals) and played the ♦ K which East won. She next played the ♠ 9, in tempo, and the moment of truth had arrived. What should I do?
I had two questions: a) how many spades did East have, and b) did she have the king? If East had 5 spades headed by the jack, the ♠ K would fall on this trick so I should duck again. On the other hand, if East had the ♠ K, I needed to play the ♠ Q, regardless of how many spades she started with or I would lose it.
At this point we rely on our knowledge of the players, if any, and our close observation of any mannerisms, including tempo. I finally decided that East might have paused for thought had she held the ♠ K and decided to play West for it. Accordingly, I ducked again and West followed low. A third spade cleared the suit, West winning the ♠ K. West switched back to diamonds. So far, so good.
I cashed my diamonds, and was pleased to see not only the ♥Q well-placed but also the ♣ K.
Dec. 9 Holiday STAC
| Board 18 East Deals N-S Vul | ♠ A 3 2 ♥ A J 4 ♦ K Q J 9 ♣ Q 8 4 | ||||||||||
♠ K 8 6 ♥ Q 10 8 6 ♦ 8 7 3 ♣ K 9 6 |
| ♠ J 10 9 5 ♥ 9 5 2 ♦ A 5 ♣ J 10 7 5 | |||||||||
| ♠ Q 7 4 ♥ K 7 3 ♦ 10 6 4 2 ♣ A 3 2 | |||||||||||
See you at the table!
Monday, December 5, 2011
Jennbridge: Kibitzing the Reisinger
I came home early from the NABC in Seattle and had the opportunity to witness some fine play, along with expert commentary on Bridgebase. This hand was particularly impressive.
For good measure there was some humor sprinkled in the commentary, to wit: I don't know their agreements, but it looks like he added some points for (previously) passing!
See you at the table!
Reisinger-A Pretty Play
| Board 5 North Deals N-S Vul | ♠ 10 9 7 ♥ 6 ♦ Q 10 8 3 ♣ J 7 6 5 3 | ||||||||||
♠ A K J 5 ♥ 10 9 7 2 ♦ K 9 ♣ A 9 8 |
| ♠ 8 2 ♥ A K Q J 5 4 3 ♦ J 5 ♣ Q 10 | |||||||||
| ♠ Q 6 4 3 ♥ 8 ♦ A 7 6 4 2 ♣ K 4 2 | |||||||||||
| West | North | East | South |
| Versace | Padon | Lauria | Bessis |
| Pass | 1 ♥ | Pass | |
| 2 ♣ | Pass | 3 ♥ | Pass |
| 3 ♠ | Pass | 4 ♥ | Pass |
| 6 NT | All pass |
| 6 NT by West |
First, the bidding. After Versace made a 2/1 game forcing bid, Lauria availed himself of the opportunity to make a jump rebid in ♥, a bid showing a solid suit after a 2/1 bid. After a ♠ cuebid by Versace and a 4♥ bid by Lauria, Versace could envision a large number of tricks and pulled out the master bid: 6NT! This bid was designed to protect his ♦ king, take advantage of any other opening lead and gain that all-important extra 10 points in the BAM event.
A diamond was led and the best was yet to come--the play! South returned a ♥ after winning the ♦ ace and Versace prepared his squeeze. Before running his hearts, he carefully cashed the ♣ ace (a Vienna Coup), and also cashed the ♦ king and the ♠ ace.
Now on the run of the hearts South, forced to make 6 discards, was unable to both hold onto his ♣ king and keep the spades guarded. As the ♣ king had not made an appearance by the time all of the hearts had been played, Versace led the last ♠. The ♠ queen was played perforce and he claimed his slam for a win on the board. His opponents stopped in a pedestrian 4♥.
Not surprisingly, this pair was on the winning Cayne team: http://www.acbl.org/nabc/2011/03/bulletins/db11.pdf
Included in the online commentary during the day was a valuable monologue by expert Karen McCallum, who gave several tips on playing board-a-match, which she referred to as "matchpoints to the 10th degree". I'm writing up her tips to present at a later time.
A diamond was led and the best was yet to come--the play! South returned a ♥ after winning the ♦ ace and Versace prepared his squeeze. Before running his hearts, he carefully cashed the ♣ ace (a Vienna Coup), and also cashed the ♦ king and the ♠ ace.
Now on the run of the hearts South, forced to make 6 discards, was unable to both hold onto his ♣ king and keep the spades guarded. As the ♣ king had not made an appearance by the time all of the hearts had been played, Versace led the last ♠. The ♠ queen was played perforce and he claimed his slam for a win on the board. His opponents stopped in a pedestrian 4♥.
Not surprisingly, this pair was on the winning Cayne team: http://www.acbl.org/nabc/2011/03/bulletins/db11.pdf
Included in the online commentary during the day was a valuable monologue by expert Karen McCallum, who gave several tips on playing board-a-match, which she referred to as "matchpoints to the 10th degree". I'm writing up her tips to present at a later time.
For good measure there was some humor sprinkled in the commentary, to wit: I don't know their agreements, but it looks like he added some points for (previously) passing!
See you at the table!
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Jenn's Losing Trick Count booklet
Because of my article in the December issue of the Bridge Bulletin, I am getting more inquiries about the booklet I've written on losing trick count. A description of the booklet, a review by a fellow bridge blogger, and ordering information are available by clicking on the links to the right. Here is some additional information from the back of the booklet:
This “boutique booklet” provides a clear explanation of the basics of losing trick count. A dozen of the author’s own deals demonstrate its effectiveness. Jennifer makes an important bidding contribution as she presents a system of combining losing trick count with Bergen raises. From sectional team games to the World Mixed Pairs, she takes the reader through her entertaining and instructive hands. Valuable and enjoyable--a worthwhile addition to any bridge library!
Informative, educational and well written. Clears up several questions I had about the effective use of losing trick count.
Improve your game and win more often! Start using Losing Trick Count today!
See you at the table!
Improve your game and win more often! Start using Losing Trick Count today!
See you at the table!
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Jennbridge: Live From Seattle
Enjoying a wonderful NABC here in Seattle. Thanks for the book orders and comments.
From a reader: Read your article in recent ACBL publication. I haven't used LTC, since I typically use: Rule of 20, open 12 point hands sometimes, and use 2.5 Quick tricks with 11 points. Please comment on this. thanks. ..rob
Rob: The guidelines you mention are helpful when deciding whether to open the bidding. We need other guidelines to assist us as the bidding proceeds, however. Many of our decisions revolve around how high to bid once we have located a fit with our partner. This is where losing trick count comes into play. It is used in conjunction with high card points to help us more accurately evaluate our hand so that we can bid with confidence to the right level.
Here is a hand I held recently. My partner opened 1♠ and I held:
♠ K643
♥ 984
♦ AQ1075
♣ 2
How should I respond? Without losing trick count it would be difficult to accurately evaluate this hand.
At the table, I counted my losers (7) which meant that my hand was worth a game-forcing bid. I therefore jumped to 4♣, a splinter showing ♠ support and ♣ shortness, and my partner signed off in 4♠.
These were the hands and partner had no trouble making 4♠.
♠ K643
♥ 984
♦ AQ1075
♣ 2
♠ QJ1098
♥ KQ7
♦ K4
♣ J93
You can change partner's hand any number of ways and he will still have a good chance of making game. We received an excellent score for this hand as many pairs failed to reach game.
I will be writing about this topic in the next few issues of the Bridge Bulletin, so stay tuned.
See you at the table!
From a reader: Read your article in recent ACBL publication. I haven't used LTC, since I typically use: Rule of 20, open 12 point hands sometimes, and use 2.5 Quick tricks with 11 points. Please comment on this. thanks. ..rob
Rob: The guidelines you mention are helpful when deciding whether to open the bidding. We need other guidelines to assist us as the bidding proceeds, however. Many of our decisions revolve around how high to bid once we have located a fit with our partner. This is where losing trick count comes into play. It is used in conjunction with high card points to help us more accurately evaluate our hand so that we can bid with confidence to the right level.
Here is a hand I held recently. My partner opened 1♠ and I held:
♠ K643
♥ 984
♦ AQ1075
♣ 2
How should I respond? Without losing trick count it would be difficult to accurately evaluate this hand.
At the table, I counted my losers (7) which meant that my hand was worth a game-forcing bid. I therefore jumped to 4♣, a splinter showing ♠ support and ♣ shortness, and my partner signed off in 4♠.
These were the hands and partner had no trouble making 4♠.
♠ K643
♥ 984
♦ AQ1075
♣ 2
♠ QJ1098
♥ KQ7
♦ K4
♣ J93
You can change partner's hand any number of ways and he will still have a good chance of making game. We received an excellent score for this hand as many pairs failed to reach game.
I will be writing about this topic in the next few issues of the Bridge Bulletin, so stay tuned.
See you at the table!
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Jennbridge: Count Your Losers!
Partner dealt and opened 1 spade at the club game yesterday (board 27) and I held:
♠ J74
♥ AQ8
♦ Q102
♣ A964
What is your call?
While I had 13 points, I had 8 losers which meant the hand was not necessarily worth a game-forcing bid. Therefore I decided to start with a forcing notrump and try to get more information from partner before my next bid. I can always put the hand in game, make a 3-card limit raise, or perhaps even veer into notrump.
My fearless (reckless?) LHO came in with a double and Bob, my partner redoubled, showing a good hand. RHO bid 2 hearts and it was decision time. As I had hoped, I now had a lot of information.
For starters, the opponents were probably in big trouble. Secondly, LHO had values. Finally, my partner had a good hand as indicated by his redouble. Clearly we belonged in game, but several factors pointed to a notrump game:
♠ KQ1098
♥ K3
♦ AK
♣ Q1083
♠ J74
♥ AQ8
♦ Q102
♣ A964
11 tricks were easily available and we were rewarded with a near-70% board.
My LHO held: A/10742/9853/KJ52.
The keys to the hand were 1) staying out of slam and 2) bidding notrump. My partner admitted that if I had started with a 2 club game-forcing bid, it would have been virtually inmpossible to stay out of slam, and nearly half of the field did, indeed, bid to the slam. (One pair, remarkably, bid and made 6 due to an unlikely endplay. Charlene stripped the red suits and threw her opponent in with the {lucky for her, singleton!} ace of spades who had to then lead away from the king of clubs.)
Don't forget to count your losers!
See you at the table!
♠ J74
♥ AQ8
♦ Q102
♣ A964
What is your call?
While I had 13 points, I had 8 losers which meant the hand was not necessarily worth a game-forcing bid. Therefore I decided to start with a forcing notrump and try to get more information from partner before my next bid. I can always put the hand in game, make a 3-card limit raise, or perhaps even veer into notrump.
My fearless (reckless?) LHO came in with a double and Bob, my partner redoubled, showing a good hand. RHO bid 2 hearts and it was decision time. As I had hoped, I now had a lot of information.
For starters, the opponents were probably in big trouble. Secondly, LHO had values. Finally, my partner had a good hand as indicated by his redouble. Clearly we belonged in game, but several factors pointed to a notrump game:
- My hand was a balanced 4-3-3-3 with no ruffing values.
- All of the suits seemed to be adequately stopped.
- The partnership possessed extra values so that as many tricks were likely available in notrump as in a suit contract
- With the heart bid on my right a heart lead was likely.
- The omnipresent and overriding reason: We were playing matchpoints! (so that making that 10 point bonus was all-important)
♠ KQ1098
♥ K3
♦ AK
♣ Q1083
♠ J74
♥ AQ8
♦ Q102
♣ A964
11 tricks were easily available and we were rewarded with a near-70% board.
My LHO held: A/10742/9853/KJ52.
The keys to the hand were 1) staying out of slam and 2) bidding notrump. My partner admitted that if I had started with a 2 club game-forcing bid, it would have been virtually inmpossible to stay out of slam, and nearly half of the field did, indeed, bid to the slam. (One pair, remarkably, bid and made 6 due to an unlikely endplay. Charlene stripped the red suits and threw her opponent in with the {lucky for her, singleton!} ace of spades who had to then lead away from the king of clubs.)
Don't forget to count your losers!
See you at the table!
Monday, November 21, 2011
Jennbridge: Adventures with Abbe
Abbe (my bridge student, assistant and friend) and I stayed to play in the Marin Co. unit game after the losing trick count seminar Gene Simpson and I taught yesterday. Here is one of the more memorable hands.
RHO dealt and passed and I innocently opened 1NT:
♠ 952
♥ AQJ
♦ A1092
♣ A104
Abbe, with a flourish, responded 4 ♦, a Texas transfer, and I duly bid 4 ♥. She now bid 4NT, keycard, and I responded 5♦, showing 0 or 3. She now signed off (or attempted to) at 5♥. I found this whole auction unusual, however, and couldn't really figure out what was going on. It did seem to me though, that since I had 3 keycards rather than 0 that I should take another call. So I bid 6 ♥ and everyone passed.
The ♦ king was led and I did my best to conceal my surprise.
♠ J76
♥ K85432
♦ J
♣ KQ3
♠ 952
♥ AQJ
♦ A1092
♣ A104
"Good grief!" I quieted my mind with the declaration that I wasn't down yet. I saw that I could take a ruffing finesse against the ♦ queen and be down only one (for what that would be worth).
I drew a couple of rounds of trump and took the ruffing finesse--the ♦ 10 being covered by the queen and ruffed. I drew a couple more rounds of trump and noted with interest as LHO, a very experienced player with thousands of masterpoints, pitched two diamonds. For good measure I drew the last tump and played off the clubs ending in my hand.
♠ J76
♥
♦
♣
♠ 9
♥
♦ 92
♣
I cashed the ♦ 9 pitching a spade as both opponents followed. Was there really a miracle at hand or had I miscounted? I played the ♦ 2 and pitched another spade as eveyone showed out. Making 6. The ♦ 2 was my 12th trick!
Abbe was starting a small celebration in her seat and I hurriedly scored up 1430 and jumped up from the table for a walk out into the hallway. Ha! Perhaps I have been in a worse slam but, mercifully, I can't remember it!
LHO held: Q4/ 97/KQ765/9762
See you at the table!
RHO dealt and passed and I innocently opened 1NT:
♠ 952
♥ AQJ
♦ A1092
♣ A104
Abbe, with a flourish, responded 4 ♦, a Texas transfer, and I duly bid 4 ♥. She now bid 4NT, keycard, and I responded 5♦, showing 0 or 3. She now signed off (or attempted to) at 5♥. I found this whole auction unusual, however, and couldn't really figure out what was going on. It did seem to me though, that since I had 3 keycards rather than 0 that I should take another call. So I bid 6 ♥ and everyone passed.
The ♦ king was led and I did my best to conceal my surprise.
♠ J76
♥ K85432
♦ J
♣ KQ3
♠ 952
♥ AQJ
♦ A1092
♣ A104
"Good grief!" I quieted my mind with the declaration that I wasn't down yet. I saw that I could take a ruffing finesse against the ♦ queen and be down only one (for what that would be worth).
I drew a couple of rounds of trump and took the ruffing finesse--the ♦ 10 being covered by the queen and ruffed. I drew a couple more rounds of trump and noted with interest as LHO, a very experienced player with thousands of masterpoints, pitched two diamonds. For good measure I drew the last tump and played off the clubs ending in my hand.
♠ J76
♥
♦
♣
♠ 9
♥
♦ 92
♣
I cashed the ♦ 9 pitching a spade as both opponents followed. Was there really a miracle at hand or had I miscounted? I played the ♦ 2 and pitched another spade as eveyone showed out. Making 6. The ♦ 2 was my 12th trick!
Abbe was starting a small celebration in her seat and I hurriedly scored up 1430 and jumped up from the table for a walk out into the hallway. Ha! Perhaps I have been in a worse slam but, mercifully, I can't remember it!
LHO held: Q4/ 97/KQ765/9762
See you at the table!
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Jennbridge: LTC seminar with Gene Simpson
It's not too late to sign up for the losing trick count seminar that Gene Simpson and I are giving next Sunday in Marin County. Here are the details:
Sunday, November 20, 2011, 10:30A – 12:30P (prior to Unit 508 game)
Terra Linda Rec Center, 670 Del Ganado Road, Terra Linda
$40 per person, includes a copy of Jennifer's LTC booklet.
Contact Jennifer for reservations & info at: jennife574@aol.com.
Losing Trick Count – an alternative method of Bridge hand evaluation guaranteed to improve your bidding.
- Take the guesswork out of bidding!
- Learn how to bid games easily and confidently with no more than 20 points!
- Learn how to stop at a low level despite high point count.
This seminar will present LTC theory along with approximately 20 hands on the benefits of LTC, including competitive bidding, game tries and slam bidding.
If you want to attend and you already have my LTC booklet the price is $30.
See you at the table!
Sunday, November 20, 2011, 10:30A – 12:30P (prior to Unit 508 game)
Terra Linda Rec Center, 670 Del Ganado Road, Terra Linda
$40 per person, includes a copy of Jennifer's LTC booklet.
Contact Jennifer for reservations & info at: jennife574@aol.com.
Losing Trick Count – an alternative method of Bridge hand evaluation guaranteed to improve your bidding.
- Take the guesswork out of bidding!
- Learn how to bid games easily and confidently with no more than 20 points!
- Learn how to stop at a low level despite high point count.
This seminar will present LTC theory along with approximately 20 hands on the benefits of LTC, including competitive bidding, game tries and slam bidding.
If you want to attend and you already have my LTC booklet the price is $30.
See you at the table!
Friday, November 4, 2011
Jennbridge: The Curious Cuebid
From Jake, traveling bridge pro: Jenn--We should come up with a name for the cuebid that the expert makes in the middle of an auction to try and create a game force and which the student or intermediate player always finds puzzling and invariably ends up ignoring which causes the auction to fizzle out before it reaches its climax.
At the Scottsdale Regional RHO opened one heart and I overcalled one spade with:
♠ Q10xxxx
♥ AK
♦ x
♣ Kxxx
LHO passed and partner got my attention with a bid of 2 clubs. RHO passed and it was my call. What to bid? My hand has gone up in value with partner's 2 club advance and we surely have a game somewhere. In spades? Clubs? Notrump?
As the only forcing bid I could create was 2 hearts, that's what I bid. Partner bid 2 notrump which wasn't much help as I was still unsure where we belonged.
As it was a team game perhaps I should have jumped to 5 clubs as one of my friends suggested, but I hated to give up on spades. So I bid 3 spades, praying that partner would take note of the fact that I inserted a cuebid into the middle of the auction before I rebid my spades.
Nope--he passed. Sigh.
♠ A9
♥ Qxx
♦ xxx
♣ AQxxx
♠ Q10xxxx
♥ AK
♦ x
♣ Kxxx
It was disheartening to see ace-doubleton of spades in dummy and realize that we could make game in either black suit. I actually made 6 as the spades were well-positioned and I was able to pitch my diamond on the queen of hearts.
I finished the match in a funk, dreading the score comparison. When our teammates read the score for the board they announced "Plus 200!" "Win 10" I replied. (Whew!)
It seems that our counterparts had an even worse time of it as they wound up in 3NT, down 4! So instead of suffering a big loss, we actually had an unexpected good result in a rather amusing twist.
Keep Passing the Open Windows!
You too Jake--keep the faith! Good idea--if we give the bid a name maybe that will elevate it to the status of a CONVENTION which can then be noted on the convention card.....
Here are some other suggestions:
Gratuitous cuebid
Conspicuous cuebid
Peculiar cuebid
Critical cuebid
Remarkable cuebid
Any suggestions readers?
See you at the table!
At the Scottsdale Regional RHO opened one heart and I overcalled one spade with:
♠ Q10xxxx
♥ AK
♦ x
♣ Kxxx
LHO passed and partner got my attention with a bid of 2 clubs. RHO passed and it was my call. What to bid? My hand has gone up in value with partner's 2 club advance and we surely have a game somewhere. In spades? Clubs? Notrump?
As the only forcing bid I could create was 2 hearts, that's what I bid. Partner bid 2 notrump which wasn't much help as I was still unsure where we belonged.
As it was a team game perhaps I should have jumped to 5 clubs as one of my friends suggested, but I hated to give up on spades. So I bid 3 spades, praying that partner would take note of the fact that I inserted a cuebid into the middle of the auction before I rebid my spades.
Nope--he passed. Sigh.
♠ A9
♥ Qxx
♦ xxx
♣ AQxxx
♠ Q10xxxx
♥ AK
♦ x
♣ Kxxx
It was disheartening to see ace-doubleton of spades in dummy and realize that we could make game in either black suit. I actually made 6 as the spades were well-positioned and I was able to pitch my diamond on the queen of hearts.
I finished the match in a funk, dreading the score comparison. When our teammates read the score for the board they announced "Plus 200!" "Win 10" I replied. (Whew!)
It seems that our counterparts had an even worse time of it as they wound up in 3NT, down 4! So instead of suffering a big loss, we actually had an unexpected good result in a rather amusing twist.
Keep Passing the Open Windows!
You too Jake--keep the faith! Good idea--if we give the bid a name maybe that will elevate it to the status of a CONVENTION which can then be noted on the convention card.....
Here are some other suggestions:
Gratuitous cuebid
Conspicuous cuebid
Peculiar cuebid
Critical cuebid
Remarkable cuebid
Any suggestions readers?
See you at the table!
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Jennbridge: 2011 World Bridge Championships
The 2011 World Bridge Championships are underway! They are taking place in the Netherlands from Oct. 15-Oct. 29. For more information check out their website:
http://www.worldbridge.org/tourn/Veldhoven.11/Veldhoven.htm
There will be lots of kibitzing on bridgebase.com with several tables available and a new voice commentary feature. For information see: http://webutil.bridgebase.com/v2/news_fetch.php?id=780
See you at the table!
http://www.worldbridge.org/tourn/Veldhoven.11/Veldhoven.htm
There will be lots of kibitzing on bridgebase.com with several tables available and a new voice commentary feature. For information see: http://webutil.bridgebase.com/v2/news_fetch.php?id=780
See you at the table!
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Jennbridge: A Successful Gambit
I was playing at Roy Hoppe's club with Dave Neuman today. Dave made an imaginative bid that worked well. He dealt and held, with neither side vulnerable:
♠ AKQTxx
♥ AJ
♦ Kx
♣ Jxx
He bid 1 Spade. LHO overcalled 2 Clubs. I passed. RHO advanced 2 Diamonds. Back to him. What would you do?
Dave eschewed such mundane bids as 2 or 3 Spades. Instead, he chose to bid 3 Diamonds! Dave and I have an agreement that when the opponents have bid two suits, a cue bid of one of them shows a stopper in that suit but not the other. So he showed a diamond stopper and asked me to bid 3NT with a club stopper. While it is true that this would only produce the eighth trick if spades ran, he decided to go for it since I might have something else useful that would produce another. I held
♠ xxx
♥ T98
♦ QJx
♣ Q9xx
Not much, but when they didn't find the potentially killing heart lead, it was enough. RHO played the ten to my queen, so the 9 was a second stopper. If he instead won it with the king, there was no defense (hearts cannot be led from his side without setting up 2 tricks in the suit). I only needed to play a diamond and that was 9 tricks (spades were 3-1). I actually made ten, since when I led a diamond, LHO went up with the ace and I unblocked the king. (If he ducked, there would only be 9 since I wouln't be able to set up another diamond and untangle all the tricks.) +430 was a cold top. +400 would have still been a top; everybody else was in 3 or 4 Spades.
Good luck!
♠ AKQTxx
♥ AJ
♦ Kx
♣ Jxx
He bid 1 Spade. LHO overcalled 2 Clubs. I passed. RHO advanced 2 Diamonds. Back to him. What would you do?
Dave eschewed such mundane bids as 2 or 3 Spades. Instead, he chose to bid 3 Diamonds! Dave and I have an agreement that when the opponents have bid two suits, a cue bid of one of them shows a stopper in that suit but not the other. So he showed a diamond stopper and asked me to bid 3NT with a club stopper. While it is true that this would only produce the eighth trick if spades ran, he decided to go for it since I might have something else useful that would produce another. I held
♠ xxx
♥ T98
♦ QJx
♣ Q9xx
Not much, but when they didn't find the potentially killing heart lead, it was enough. RHO played the ten to my queen, so the 9 was a second stopper. If he instead won it with the king, there was no defense (hearts cannot be led from his side without setting up 2 tricks in the suit). I only needed to play a diamond and that was 9 tricks (spades were 3-1). I actually made ten, since when I led a diamond, LHO went up with the ace and I unblocked the king. (If he ducked, there would only be 9 since I wouln't be able to set up another diamond and untangle all the tricks.) +430 was a cold top. +400 would have still been a top; everybody else was in 3 or 4 Spades.
Good luck!
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Jennbridge: Accurate Hand Evaluation
I held this hand today in a sectional team game. None vul., what is your call when partner opens 1 heart?
♠ K9
♥ AJ10
♦ J10xx
♣ KJxx
There are several choices. Many players would start with a game-forcing 2 club bid, followed by a heart raise. The hand contains 13 high card points, but a closer examination reveals 8 losers. This makes it a game-invitational hand, rather than a game-forcing hand.
I responded with a forcing notrump, awaiting further information from my partner. He rebid 2NT, showing a strong hand--a hand suitable for a jump rebid of 2NT. I had the information I needed and jumped to 4 hearts.
♠ K9
♥ AJ10
♦ J10xx
♣ KJxx
♠ 10x
♥ KQxxx
♦ AQ
♣ AQxx
There was a surprise ruff of the opening club lead, but the contract was in no danger as the ace of spades was onside as well as the diamond king.
The bigger surprise occurred when we compared results and learned we had won 10 imps on the board. My (expert) counterpart made the game-forcing 2 club bid with my hand, and when he later showed hearts, his partner bid the hand to the 5-level--down 1!
2. Holding this hand the other night, my partner responded 1NT to my 1 spade opener, then had to decide what to do when I rebid 2 hearts:
♠ x
♥ AJ109
♦ Jxxxxx
♣ xx
Although she had only 6 points, she properly counted her losers (8) and realized she needed to invite with 3 hearts. This got us to a good 20-point game.
♠ x
♥ AJ109
♦ Jxxxxx
♣ xx
♠ AKxxx
♥ Kxxxx
♦ Ax
♣ x
Using losing trick count in the bidding helps you go right in these situations For more information about losing trick count, see my booklet on the subject: http://jennbridge.blogspot.com/2011_04_01_archive.html
Thanks to Memphis Mojo, a fellow bridge blogger who wrote a nice review of said booklet entitled Elevate Your Game: http://pokerandbridge.blogspot.com/2011/08/elevate-your-game.html
Check out Memphis Mojo's interesting bridge/poker/travel blog--complete with photos!
http://pokerandbridge.blogspot.com/
See you at the table!
♠ K9
♥ AJ10
♦ J10xx
♣ KJxx
There are several choices. Many players would start with a game-forcing 2 club bid, followed by a heart raise. The hand contains 13 high card points, but a closer examination reveals 8 losers. This makes it a game-invitational hand, rather than a game-forcing hand.
I responded with a forcing notrump, awaiting further information from my partner. He rebid 2NT, showing a strong hand--a hand suitable for a jump rebid of 2NT. I had the information I needed and jumped to 4 hearts.
♠ K9
♥ AJ10
♦ J10xx
♣ KJxx
♠ 10x
♥ KQxxx
♦ AQ
♣ AQxx
There was a surprise ruff of the opening club lead, but the contract was in no danger as the ace of spades was onside as well as the diamond king.
The bigger surprise occurred when we compared results and learned we had won 10 imps on the board. My (expert) counterpart made the game-forcing 2 club bid with my hand, and when he later showed hearts, his partner bid the hand to the 5-level--down 1!
2. Holding this hand the other night, my partner responded 1NT to my 1 spade opener, then had to decide what to do when I rebid 2 hearts:
♠ x
♥ AJ109
♦ Jxxxxx
♣ xx
Although she had only 6 points, she properly counted her losers (8) and realized she needed to invite with 3 hearts. This got us to a good 20-point game.
♠ x
♥ AJ109
♦ Jxxxxx
♣ xx
♠ AKxxx
♥ Kxxxx
♦ Ax
♣ x
Using losing trick count in the bidding helps you go right in these situations For more information about losing trick count, see my booklet on the subject: http://jennbridge.blogspot.com/2011_04_01_archive.html
Thanks to Memphis Mojo, a fellow bridge blogger who wrote a nice review of said booklet entitled Elevate Your Game: http://pokerandbridge.blogspot.com/2011/08/elevate-your-game.html
Check out Memphis Mojo's interesting bridge/poker/travel blog--complete with photos!
http://pokerandbridge.blogspot.com/
See you at the table!
Friday, September 16, 2011
Jennbridge: Good Kibitzing, Good Reading
Should be a good Challenge Match this Sunday on bridgebase: USA1 vs. USA2! For more info:
http://webutil.bridgebase.com/v2/news_fetch.php?id=761
Thoroughly enjoying and picking up lots of great tips from Eric Rodwell's new book: The Rodwell Files, Secrets of a Bridge Champion. Order from http://www.masterpointpress.com/ or Amazon.com or buy from your local bridge bookseller.
See you at the table!
http://webutil.bridgebase.com/v2/news_fetch.php?id=761
Thoroughly enjoying and picking up lots of great tips from Eric Rodwell's new book: The Rodwell Files, Secrets of a Bridge Champion. Order from http://www.masterpointpress.com/ or Amazon.com or buy from your local bridge bookseller.
See you at the table!
Monday, September 12, 2011
Jennbridge: First Trick Decision
I had an interesting decision to make at trick one last Friday when I found myself in six spades after some vigorous preempting in clubs by the opponents. A club was led and neither I nor my partner had any!
| ♠ K 10 4 ♥ A K 9 5 ♦ A K Q 10 6 2 ♣ — | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| ♠ A J 9 5 2 ♥ 8 6 4 3 ♦ J 9 7 5 ♣ — | |||||||||||
| 6 ♠ by South |
It is important to think about the various possible divisions of spades. If they divided 3-2, the hand would be easy. If RHO had all 5 spades I would have some problems. I decided that it was quite possible that spades were 4-1 with 4 spades on my right. If that were the actual holding, I still needed to play carefully.
If I ruffed in dummy I couldn't pick up 4 to the queen on my right. I therefore made what seemed like an unusual play--discarding a heart from dummy and ruffing in my hand!
When I led a spade toward the king, LHO did indeed turn up with one spade--the Queen! I finished drawing trumps and scored up 1010 for a tie for top.
See you at the table!
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Jennbridge: Avoidance Play Pays Dividends
After a routine auction I found myself in 3NT with a diamond lead.
I won the diamond king and paused to study the hand. Clearly I needed to work on clubs, and just as clear was the fact that I needed to try to keep East off lead to prevent another diamond lead through my Q10.
Without that consideration, the club ace followed by a club to the 10 would be logical. As this would likely put East on lead, however, I needed to play the ace and king of clubs and hope that West would be on lead after the third round of clubs.
West won the jack of clubs as East discarded a discouraging heart. So far, so good. West, an expert, now paused for a considerable length of time before returning...a diamond! The heart finesse won and the hand produced 12 tricks for a great score. (4C, 3D, 4H and 1 S)
Looking at the hands later, I saw that West had a difficult problem.
This simple avoidance play paid great dividends as +490 scored 32 out of 37 matchpoints.
See you at the table!
All Western Open Pairs
| West Deals E-W Vul | ♠ Q 10 6 ♥ A Q 8 2 ♦ 4 ♣ K 10 6 3 2 | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| ♠ A 4 3 2 ♥ J 10 6 ♦ A Q 10 ♣ A 8 4 | |||||||||||
| West | North | East | South |
| Bob | Jenn | ||
| Pass | Pass | Pass | 1 NT |
| Pass | 2 ♣ | Pass | 2 ♠ |
| Pass | 3 NT | All pass |
| 3 NT by South |
I won the diamond king and paused to study the hand. Clearly I needed to work on clubs, and just as clear was the fact that I needed to try to keep East off lead to prevent another diamond lead through my Q10.
Without that consideration, the club ace followed by a club to the 10 would be logical. As this would likely put East on lead, however, I needed to play the ace and king of clubs and hope that West would be on lead after the third round of clubs.
West won the jack of clubs as East discarded a discouraging heart. So far, so good. West, an expert, now paused for a considerable length of time before returning...a diamond! The heart finesse won and the hand produced 12 tricks for a great score. (4C, 3D, 4H and 1 S)
Looking at the hands later, I saw that West had a difficult problem.
All Western Open Pairs
| West Deals E-W Vul | ♠ Q 10 6 ♥ A Q 8 2 ♦ 4 ♣ K 10 6 3 2 | ||||||||||
♠ K 8 5 ♥ K 9 4 ♦ J 8 6 3 ♣ J 9 5 |
| ♠ J 9 7 ♥ 7 5 3 ♦ K 9 7 5 2 ♣ Q 7 | |||||||||
| ♠ A 4 3 2 ♥ J 10 6 ♦ A Q 10 ♣ A 8 4 | |||||||||||
This simple avoidance play paid great dividends as +490 scored 32 out of 37 matchpoints.
See you at the table!
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